Les Miserables

This post contains spoilers about the movie "Les Miserables."

Last Sunday, I went to see the musical "Les Miserables," which was a big mistake on my part. If you remember one of my earlier posts, I talked about how I cry at everything and this movie was no different. I went into this movie expecting to be bored to tears, but did not expect walking out after being moved to tears. This movie was a powerful display of love and emotion and the turmoil in all the hearts of men.

The musical takes place before and during the French Revolution in Paris, France. It begins with a man named Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), or the prisoner 24601, being released and put on parole. He almost squanders this new "freedom," though, when he steals the silver of a priest that took him in for the night. The priest allows him to keep it and gives him expensive candlesticks, and Valjean finds himself reformed and breaking parole. The man that released him, Javert (Russell Crowe), vows to find him some day, but when Valjean becomes the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer and the owner of a factory. He finds out that one of his workers, Fantine (Anne Hathaway) has an illegitimate daughter and lets his foreman deal with her, but he casts her out. Valjean sees the results of this later and helps Fantine out by taking care of her daughter Cosette after she is dead. Javert finds Valjean, though, and he and the girl run for it. Later in their life, in 1832, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) finds herself grown up and in love at first sight with a young radical named Marius (Eddie Redmayne). Eponine (Samantha Barks) is one of Marius's friends and she is also in love with him, but she helps him and Cosette get together. There's a fight scene between the revolutionaries and the French army where everyone dies but Valjean saves Marius and Javert (from the revolutionaries). Javert commits suicide after having internal conflicts, though, and Marius lives and marries Cosette. Valjean then dies and goes to God with Fantine. The end.

That's actually just a quick overview of the film. So much happened and there were so many feelings in this movie. The actors' portrayal of the people was so realistic I felt like I was watching a documentary where everyone sang instead of a scripted musical. Probably the best actor in this movie was Anne Hathaway. She seemed so real when she was up on screen belting out "I Dreamed a Dream" that it was the first instance in the movie where I cried. I no longer saw Anne Hathaway up there, but Fantine, a poor woman who had been cast out and forced to live as prostitute.

Another thing I loved about this movie was that not everyone was that great of a singer. Some people were really rough and others had clear, beautiful voices, but that's what made it so real. Rather than everyone being autotuned to sound perfect, everyone seemed so natural. I felt like they could be right in front of me this way, and I think this is why I found it to be such an emotional journey.

If I were to rate this movie, I would give it a 10/10 unless you don't like sad movies, then I would give it a 9/10. It was so good and so powerful so go see it!